Philosophy In Film

Episode 105 - Back to the Future
Great Scott! This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang travels back in time to 1985 with Robert Zemeckis' beloved sci-fi adventure classic, Back to the Future. When Marty McFly is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric Doc Brown, he quickly discovers that history is far easier to disrupt than repair. Craig kicks things off, generating 1.21 gigawatts of Producer's Notes (5:21), while Alain fires up the DeLorean for the Beauclair Synopsis (19:28). In Philosopher's Corner (37:42), Chris engages the flux capacitor to navigate the film's famously tangled family tree. The gang then convenes at the Round Table (51:05), where timelines intersect, paradoxes emerge, and nobody can quite agree on the rules. Reviews (1:26:33) and Mailbag (1:37:34) bring us safely back to the present, wrapping up the episode before the timeline can drift any further.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical aspects of the film, because where we're going, we don't need…roads.
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🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - "Why Don't You Make Like A Tree And Get Outta Here" NZ Cascade Pale Ale⁠ by Backcountry Brewing (Squamish, BC)

Episode 104: Glory Daze

This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang cracks open a time capsule with Glory Daze, the scrappy 1995 Gen-X comedy filled with graduation panic, beer-soaked nostalgia, and an early Ben Affleck appearance before the Hollywood spotlight hit. Set over one chaotic night before graduation, the film follows a group of college friends desperately clinging to youth before adulthood finally calls their bluff. Craig stumbles into Producer's Notes (13:29), while Alain pulls an all-nighter for the Beauclair Synopsis (26:18), tracing the film's blend of drunken nostalgia and quarter-life existentialism. In Philosopher's Corner (45:13), Chris settles into the film's strange limbo between youth and adulthood, unpacking the quiet panic that comes with realizing freedom, responsibility, and identity rarely arrive at the same time. The gang gathers at the Round Table (53:50) to kick around one last semester of chaos before Reviews (1:37:46) and Mailbag (1:55:33) crack open a final beer and stumble across the graduation stage into the night.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical aspects of the film, because sooner or later, everybody has to leave campus.
🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - Mixtape Hazy IPA by Polyrhythm Brewing (Edmonton, Alberta)
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Episode 103: Stand by Me
This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang sets out down the tracks with Rob Reiner's beloved coming-of-age classic, Stand by Me. Based on Stephen King's novella The Body, the film follows four boys as they leave in search of a missing body. What begins as childhood curiosity slowly unfolds into a meditation on friendship, memory, and the quiet moment when innocence gives way to experience. Craig packs the provisions with Producer's Notes (8:30), while Alain walks the rails through the Beauclair Synopsis (19:21), tracing the boys' winding path through campfire confessions and junkyard trials. In Philosopher's Corner (39:48), Chris reflects on the fragile architecture of childhood friendship, asking how loyalty, vulnerability, and social circumstance shape who we become long after the journey ends. The gang gathers at the Round Table (47:20) to revisit the film's enduring emotional resonance, weighing nostalgia against realism and asking why stories of youth often feel clearest in retrospect. Reviews (1:26:57) bring the trip home, as we reflect on a film that continues to find new meaning with each revisit.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical terrain of the film, because sometimes the longest journeys are the ones we only recognize after we've grown up.
🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - Alberta's Great Out S'mores Milk Stout by Hub Town Brewing (Okotoks, AB)

Episode 102: Slap Shot
With Special Guest: Megan Craig (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Art, Stony Brook University)
The gloves are off this week on Philosophy in Film as the gang faces off with George Roy Hill's bruising classic, Slap Shot! Set in the fading mill town of Charlestown, the film follows player-coach Reggie Dunlop, played by Paul Newman, as he tries to save a failing hockey team by leaning into spectacle, violence, and the sudden popularity of the Hanson Brothers. What begins as a desperate bid for ticket sales spirals into a question about integrity, entertainment, and what happens when winning becomes secondary to drawing blood. At centre ice, Craig drops the puck with Producer's Notes (), while Alain takes out some teeth with the Beauclair Synopsis (). In Philosopher's Corner, Chris digs into the film's storied history and stitches connections to our hometown. The gang heads to the penalty box for the Round Table () to consider the ethics of aggression, masculinity on ice, and the simmering class tensions bubbling beneath the boards. Reviews sound the final buzzer as we tally the hits, the heart, and whether Slap Shot earns its place in the hall.
As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical aspects of the film, because when the crowd wants a fight, someone still has to decide what the game is really about.
🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - Cabin Beer Everyday Lager by Cabin Brewing Company (Calgary, AB)

Episode 101: One Battle After Another
This week on Philosophy in Film, the gang locks in on Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling, darkly funny, and relentlessly restless epic, One Battle After Another. Inspired by Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, the film follows Bob, a washed-up former revolutionary played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who's forced back into a life he thought he'd escaped when his daughter disappears and an old enemy resurfaces. Craig kicks off the revolution with Producer's Notes (11:36). Alain tackles the Beauclair Synopsis (25:20), charting Bob's return to dangerous terrain where revolution, paranoia, and fatherhood overlap in uneasy ways. From the Philosopher's Corner (49:18), Chris traces how the film wrestles with paternal responsibility and competence. The gang then sits at the Round Table (56:24) where they attempt to reveal the film's galactic roots while relating it to Star Wars. The episode follows a crest and dip in the road as Reviews (1:37:06) and Mailbag (2:02:55) close us out. As always, we explore the philosophical and non-philosophical terrain of the film, because when every battle leaves a mark, the hardest fight is often with what you carry forward.
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🍻 Featured Beer 🍻 - Chiquita Mexican Cerveza by Town Square Brewing (Edmonton, AB)